Sunday sales may not be good news for all local liquor stores

Saturday

As a resident of Athens-Clarke County, Justin Pruitt looks forward to going to the polls Tuesday to vote for, among other things, allowing beer, wine and liquor sales in the community.

As the manager of J's Bottle Shop in Normaltown, however, Pruitt is a little less enthused about the proposed change in the law, which would permit package sales in grocery stores, convenience stores and liquor stores on Sundays.

"I'm definitely for it because it's an obvious progression," said Pruitt last week. "It's something that should've been done a long time ago. But my only objection is I'm going to have to work on Sundays and that makes me sad."

If the measure is approved by local voters, like it previously has in nearby Jefferson, Winder, Hoschton, Statham, Arcade and Barrow County, it is expected that more than 100 retail establishments in the area might start selling as soon as Aug. 26.

THERE GOES THE WEEKEND

There's little dispute among those package store operators surveyed that Sunday sales isn't something they favor, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is having to work on the day that for the most part represents their "weekend."

"Basically, Sunday sales have been pushed by grocery store and convenience store associations because they're open anyway," said Five Points Bottle Shop General Manager Richard Burnett. "They're already there, they're already open. Liquor stores are not behind this and not really supportive of it.

"The bottom line for us is, all we're going to do is lose Saturday night sales, and we'll lose some Monday sales to gain a little bit on Sunday. It's going to be a wash.

"We don't think we're going to make more money. Grocery stores and convenience stores, this is a bonus for them. For us, it's more payroll, it's turning on the power for another day. And Sunday is our weekend, a very short one already."

Hank Randolph, who owns and operates Tall Boy Beverage Company on South Milledge Avenue, said he thinks the community will embrace Sunday sales for a short while before returning to their regular liquor store routines and it won't be long before customers are seeing an uptick in pricing.

"My customer base is my customer base. That's not going to change," he said. "What we'll probably see is slower Saturdays, and on Sundays we'll pick up the difference. Revenue will stay virtually the same. Initially, there may be an increase because of the novelty, but after that initial few months, people will go back to their regular habits.

"In the long term, it's going to restructure our business and you'll probably see prices go up a little. If you compare prices of today from a year from now, I would think there's got to be some increases to offset those extra costs."

STAFFING HEADACHES

If approved, stores will be permitted to sell from 12:30-11:30 p.m., which Burnett said presents another set of operational headaches.

I think (opening on Sunday) will be more like weekday staffing, which is usually three people," he said. "But if we're open from 12:30-11:30 p.m., we probably can't get away with just one shift working. The only time we can imagine an increase from Sunday sales will be from big events like the Super Bowl, but week in and week out, you'll lose sales on Saturday and Sunday."

And being closed when other liquor stores are open isn't an option.

"Being closed puts you at a competitive disadvantage," said Randolph. "We're all selling a commodity here. What you buy in my store is going to taste the same as what you buy in the next guy's store.

"I've joked around with some other store owners and said, 'Hey, let's get together and not open.' But then there's that one store that will go against it. Competition is competition and in our type of business, you can't do that."

Randolph didn't wish to reveal how he intends to vote on the measure, but Burnett said he wouldn't support it.

However, even though he knows it's going to mean extra work and perhaps not a lot of extra dollars, Pruitt was adamant about his intentions.

"I'll definitely vote yes, although it will make me work on Sundays," he said. "I think it's something we really should have."

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